Police Dispatch Special Team to Enforce Ban on VIP Escorts
The Nigeria Police Force has deployed a Special Enforcement Team to ensure compliance with President Bola Tinubu’s directive banning the use of police personnel for Very Important Persons (VIP) escort and guard duties.
In a statement on Saturday via the Force’s X handle, Force Public Relations Officer CSP Benjamin Hundeyin said the team began a statewide monitoring operation in Lagos on December 6, 2025, starting around 10:00 am.
The exercise covered strategic locations including the Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge, the domestic wing of Murtala Muhammed International Airport, and other key points across the state.
Hundeyin described the monitoring as “satisfactory and commendable,” noting no instances of unauthorised police escort deployment and no arrests made.
“The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, Ph.D., NPM, reiterates the Force’s commitment to the full implementation of the presidential directive. The Nigeria Police Force remains resolute in redeploying its personnel to core policing duties aimed at enhancing general security, crime prevention, and the protection of lives and property across the country,” the statement added.
Hundeyin assured that the policy would be enforced nationwide “without fear or favour” and called on citizens to support efforts to build a more efficient, professional, and people-centred policing system.
OSUN DEFENDER reported that President Tinubu issued the directive on November 23 during a security meeting in Abuja with service chiefs and the Director-General of the Department of State Services.
According to a statement by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, VIPs requiring protection will now be assigned armed operatives from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps instead of police officers.
The policy is intended to free up police manpower for frontline duties, particularly in underserved communities, and to strengthen the country’s overall national security response.
Titilope Adako is a talented and intrepid journalist, dedicated to shedding light on the untold stories of Osun State and Nigeria. Through incisive reporting, she tackles a broad spectrum of topics, from politics and social justice to culture and entertainment, with a commitment to accuracy, empathy, and inspiring positive change.
